The Life of the Bab

The Shrine of the Bab located on Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel. (Photo: Baha'i World Centre)

The Bab was born in Shiraz, Persia (Iran) on October 20, 1819. He was born into a middle class family of merchants and tradesmen who were known for their fairness and piety.

There are very few details known about the circumstances surrounding the birth of the Bab.

The Early Years of the Bab’s life

The Bab was born Sayyid Ali Muhammad and would during His lifetime make the Hajj, or pilgrimage, to the Holy City of Mecca, making Him a hajji. The “sayyid” in front of His name denotes that He was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He always wore a green turban to show that He was a sayyid. (Nowadays, “sayyids” wear a black turban.)

The Bab was not His birth name but rather His title that He gave to Himself in accordance with religious prophecy. The word “Bab” literally means “Gate” in Arabic.

The Bab’s parents both passed away when He was a toddler, so His maternal uncle took Him in and raised Him. This uncle was a very skilled merchant in Shiraz and so the Bab grew up being a merchant as well.

The Bab and Prophet Muhammad

The Bab’s life is almost identical to that of Prophet Muhammad’s: both of them were merchants or tradesmen and both were orphaned as toddlers, leading them to be raised by their uncles. The Prophet Muhammad was raised by His uncle Abu Talib (father of Imam Ali) and the Bab was raised by His maternal uncle, Haji Mirza Sayyid Muhammad.

Both the Prophet Muhammad and the Bab were known as very equitable merchants who always adhered to fair weights and fair measures. Both were also especially known for their rectitude of conduct, their charismatic personality, their piety and their good deeds.

A New Dispensation

The Bab took this title of “the gate” to signify Him being the herald of the Baha’i Faith and the symbolic gate to a new religious cycle.

The Babi Faith was founded by the Bab on May 23, 1844, approximately two hours after sunset at His home in Shiraz. On that night He declared to Mulla Husayn (His first believer) that He was the Promised One of Islam: The Mahdi, The Qa’im or the 12th Imam. That night He gave Mulla Husayn the title of “Bab’ul Bab” or “gate of the Gate” because he was the very first person to believe in the Bab.

The Bab was only 25 when He declared His station to Mulla Husayn, who was actually older than the Bab by six years. There would be many thousands more who would come to believe in the Bab.

The first eighteen who believed in Him were given the special title of “Huruf-e Hayy” or “Letters of the Living.” Each of these eighteen Letters of the Living found out about the Bab’s message independently and accepted it by his or her own free will. Just like the Twelve Apostles of His Holiness Jesus Christ and the “Ansar” or “helpers” of Prophet Muhammad, these Letters of the Living were pious people with open hearts, which enabled them to be receptive to—and ultimately accept—their Lord’s newest message to humanity.

Want to know more?

For some excellent accounts of the life of the Bab, read: The Bab by Hasan Balyuzi, The Dawnbreakers by Nabil-i-Azam and A Traveller’s Narrative by Abdu’l-Baha. There are also some brief accounts of the Bab by European travelers and writers, mainly: A.L.M. Nicolas and Lord Curzon.

Having just celebrated the anniversary of the birth of the Bab on 20 October 1819 in some 120,000 Baha’i localities around the world, it seemed appropriate to add this interesting quotation to the above excellent overview here at Baha’i Blog:

“My Revelation is indeed far more bewildering than that of Muhammad…if thou dost but pause to reflect upon the days of God. -The Bab, Selections, Haifa, 1976, p.139.

Browse Articles

Get Bahai Blog Updates

Baha'i Blog is not an official Baha'i site and is purely an individual initiative operating as a not-for-profit entity. Any sites linked to Bahai Blog or opinions expressed on Bahai Blog are only those of the authors and editors of the blog and are not necessarily those of the worldwide Baha'i Faith community. If you find any inaccuracies or errors on this site please let us know by sending an email to editor@bahaiblog.net. The official Baha'i religion website is: bahai.org. The official Baha'i Faith website of many national Baha'i communities can be found here.